The action MMORPG Bless Unleashed is currently only available for the Xbox One console. However, the release for PC has finally been announced, and it is coming to Steam. Find out why PC players can look forward to it and why Bless Unleashed should not be associated with the unsuccessful Bless Online in this exclusive interview between MeinMMO and the developers.
What kind of game is it? Bless Unleashed is an open-world action MMORPG set in the world of the failed MMORPG Bless Online. The online role-playing game features contemporary graphics with the Unreal 4 engine and a sophisticated action combat system.
You can choose from up to five classes and chain your skills into devastating combos. There is also open-world PvP in certain zones.
Until now, all of this was only available on Xbox One, as Bless Unleashed was released in March 2020 only for this console. However, this is set to change with the upcoming PC port:
When will Bless Unleashed be released on Steam? The release for PC has been announced for spring 2021.
Will there be crossplay between Xbox One and PC? Not at launch, but possibly later.
And there are many more questions about the “new” game. What does it have to do with the unsuccessful and now-defunct Bless Online? And what has been optimized for the PC release?
These and many other questions were posed by us from the MeinMMO team to Koven Park, the Development Lead of Bless Unleashed.
The differences between the console and PC versions
MeinMMO: When will Bless Unleashed come to PC, and can you tell us more about the financial model of Bless Unleashed? Will it be on Steam?
Koven Park: It will launch as a free-to-play game on Steam in early 2021. The game will also be accessible through the official Bless Unleashed website.
MeinMMO: What are the strengths of Bless Unleashed, and what distinguishes it from other MMORPGs even in 2020?
Koven Park: Bless Unleashed was developed with a strong emphasis on implementing intuitive action combat and open-world content. Therefore, I believe the greatest feature of Bless Unleashed is that you can grasp actions at a glance and perform fun combos that are not possible in other MMORPGs with tab-targeting.
Another strength is that it is built on an open-world basis to present content that is based on exploring the vast world.
I also want to mention the Union content as a unique feature. A Union is a group with a strong bond that can bring together users with the same inclinations. This content benefits players who want to fight, protect, and explore in the game according to their individual preferences.
MeinMMO: Why did you say you wanted to bring the game not only to Xbox One but also to PC? Wasn’t it primarily tailored for console players?
Koven Park: It is true that we developed the game from the beginning with a focus on consoles. Many Xbox users responded positively and loved it, but in some cases, PC users expressed their dissatisfaction that it was only available on Xbox. I think the main reason is that we wanted more users to enjoy our game regardless of the platform.
With our special expertise for the console, I gained confidence that the PC version could also be successful with the same action. So we tried to implement the operation and action that we had as a goal not only with the gamepad but also with a combination of keyboard and mouse. So far, the results are satisfying.
MeinMMO: What are the main differences between the console and PC versions?
Koven Park: The content does not differ between the console and PC versions. However, it may differ in player experience.
The biggest difference is that PC specifications can have more flexibility than the fixed standard specification of the console.
Since the optimization, such as the frame affected by the action ability, has already been tailored to the console, the PC can utilize a configuration that allows for smoother gameplay.
The second major aspect is the difference between the display of the PC and the console. When creating the console version, there were settings that took into account the distance from the TV.
However, with the PC version, I thought there are factors where users might feel uncomfortable when the display comes closer. Through the above consideration, a wide range of applications, such as wide monitor support, adjustment of character camera distances, UI, etc., have been applied to the PC version.
MeinMMO: Does the PC port include a larger content update, and if so, what can we expect from it?
Koven Park: Of course! Bless Unleashed will continuously receive larger updates. In addition to content that improves quality of life and world dynamics, such as a fishing system or more notable field bosses and elite monsters that will increase with each new field.
We plan to develop dungeons for 10 players and elite dungeons and keep the original story up to date. In the case of the major XB1 update “Saurin’s Deception,” the high expectations of users regarding the number of innovations and quality improvements have been met.
Bless Unleashed has nothing to do with the failed Bless Online
MeinMMO: In retrospect, the PC launch of Bless Online is viewed rather critically in the West. Do you as the team behind Bless Unleashed feel that you faced strong headwinds from the beginning, even if perhaps undeserved?
Koven Park: I would like to take this opportunity to mention that Bless Unleashed is a completely different game from Bless Online. Bless Unleashed is being developed by a new development team that previously worked on projects such as Monster Hunter. And unlike Bless Online, we listen closely to our players.
We are committed to providing a gaming service where our users come first. From the moment of announcement (now) and even after the start of live service, we promise to provide a gaming service that will also satisfy those who were disappointed by Bless Online.
We will also hold a closed beta and do our best to invite as many players who played Bless Online as possible. I strongly recommend experiencing the unique and exciting open world of Bless Unleashed directly.
MeinMMO: What would you like to say to all the people who hesitate to play Bless Unleashed because the name is burdened by the first PC version Bless Online?
Koven Park: First of all, I would like to apologize for the disappointing result of Bless Online a few years ago. Unfortunately, Bless Unleashed shares the same world and some locations and characters. But it is a completely different game produced by a different studio. In fact, the Bless IP is also being used for the development of other mobile games.
I would appreciate it if people could perceive Unleashed as a different game from Bless Online. We initially brought together developers who were familiar with action (projects like Monster Hunter, etc.) and gradually redeveloped small aspects to improve the problems of the existing MMORPG.
We hope that users who have not yet come into contact with the game will feel that Unleashed is a different game as soon as they experience and enjoy it directly.
MeinMMO: How can we imagine the development of Bless Unleashed? Did you discover a lot of potential for a fresh start while developing Bless?
Koven Park: As I said before, I cannot say anything more about BO because it was produced by another studio. Therefore, I would rather talk about the development of Unleashed.
Bless Unleashed is a project that has been thought about a lot from the beginning and in which a lot of time has been invested. Why do we feel so much tension and pressure when fighting a boss? The rigid frame we have for attacks and hits, the arrangement of UI/UX relative to distance from the screen, the graphical implementation of spatial perception, all of this required a lot of consideration and effort.
I have been developing large projects for a long time, but the Unleashed development team has worked with such extraordinary passion that I believe users will understand their sincerity.
MeinMMO: What are the biggest differences from Bless Online? Testers have said that the performance on the console is surprisingly good and the game looks quite good for that. What have you improved here compared to Bless Online?
Koven Park: Instead of comparing our game to BO, I would rather talk about the charm of Unleashed. I would prefer to explain more about the action, which is the greatest strength of Bless Unleashed.
Conventional MMORPG combat is typically games where skills are executed with targeting. You play by locking the target, looking at the effects on the ground, or observing the status and UI of other players. However, Bless Unleashed is an MMO where action is at the forefront. A game where you determine the combos while observing or dodging the actions of the monsters.
On this basis, the entire combat against monsters and the dungeon content has been redesigned. Many aspects of the game are completely different, such as combat design, the combo system, etc.
More about the story, endgame, and solo viability
MeinMMO: How long does the leveling and story phase take, and can you say something about what this phase looks like?
Koven Park: The story of Bless Unleashed is fundamentally based on the conflict and conspiracy story between God and his followers and those who oppose God. We tried to make it as real as possible for the users so they can become one with the characters in the game and experience the story of the world.
We wanted to delve into the story of Carzacor, to show the villains who caused the catastrophe, and to make the world feel alive through the stories of the darkness and the people living in it. The broad context of the story is based on heroes hunting down the villains who have ruined the world.
So far, the simple text for the story will contain more than half a million words of story, and it will continue to grow as we constantly update the story and the stories of the characters within it.
MeinMMO: Long-term motivation is a critical factor for the success of an MMORPG. Can you describe what the endgame looks like at the moment?
Koven Park: The continuous development and growth of characters and items over a long period is essential. In addition to this basic structure, we will further expand the growth area to achieve a higher motivation for continued play. Our development team refers to this goal as “growth shock.”
Once a certain growth level is reached, the appearance of your hero will change drastically. In the same way, content will continue to be added for characters that have changed enough to be affected by this growth. The goal is to continuously offer challenging content, such as dimensional rifts, monster arenas, mythical dungeons, etc.
MeinMMO: Please explain the “growth shock” again in more detail.
Koven Park: The term “growth shock” is mainly used internally at the studio. It essentially places the character in a different perspective upon reaching a certain level, providing players with a different progression style than before.
And when players reach the “growth shock” stage, we add challenges and content to further motivate them in the game.
MeinMMO: Do you feel that the way people play MMORPGs has changed over the years? And if so, have you had to adapt to that, and how?
Koven Park: To meet current trends, we have made changes to content that were originally large or required multiple players. These are now more casual and can be utilized with fewer players or even solo.
A main type of such content is the battle against field bosses. Although multiple players can gather to fight a large and threatening boss in the field, it is also quite possible for solo players to engage. The fight against the field boss begins when multiple players gather, and all participating users will be rewarded.
It’s casual and immediate as players can gather and part ways as they please, and players can experience many adventures by simply exploring the game field.
MeinMMO: Can you tell us what the biggest changes have been since the release of Bless Unleashed on Xbox One?
Koven Park: While there has been quantitative growth, such as the addition of 8 dungeons along with other content, the biggest change in providing the game for Xbox One users has been the balance in the early to mid-areas of the game and updates that reduced the stress associated with upgrading items.
The development team is working hard to communicate and synchronize with our players to make the game more enjoyable.
Fights experience the most changes and will continue to evolve. There are further plans to significantly change the player progress changes, which we consider the core of the combat system.
This could include adding a new class, expanding and evolving unique abilities, class switching, and Bless upgrades. We plan to give each class more individuality by strengthening future abilities while expanding growth motivations.
In Bless Unleashed, Blessings refer to passive bonuses that you unlock throughout the game. This allows you to better tailor your hero to your individual play style. For example, there is a Blessing that grants you significantly more hit points. Ideal for building a particularly tough tank or making a DPS class a bit less fragile.
MeinMMO: What are the “additional features” besides typical dungeons and PvP content that players can invest their time in? And will there be housing?
Koven Park: There is no housing per se, but a settlement system in Bless Unleashed. Players can gather field workers in their personal estate to craft items and tame mounts.
There is a variety of content located in the fields and throughout the world of Bless Unleashed. For example: field bosses, elite monster hunting, invasion quests that trigger events in specific regions, and prestige quests linked with a variety of powers and connections. Finally, there are life skill-related contents, such as “superior gathering.” This is in addition to fishing, gathering, and mining, allowing users to compete with other users for powerful gathering materials.
Through content distributed across the world, players can naturally evolve and compete with each other.
“Bless Unleashed can also be played as a single player game”
MeinMMO: We had a survey on Mein-MMO.de and were surprised that more than half prefer to play MMOs solo and only occasionally in a group. What do you think about it, and does Bless Unleashed play well alone?
Koven Park: Compared to the time when MMO games were new, things are now more individual and different from when a large group of over 40 players would perfectly work together to complete raids.
However, the downside of this has already been highlighted in earlier MMO games, where even in these games, the number of players required for each content was reduced.
According to the preferences of current players, Bless Unleashed can also be played as a single-player game. However, this does not mean that everything can be completed from start to finish alone.
Even though Bless Unleashed can be played alone, it will be easier to experience multiple contents with other players. Regarding dungeons, there are also arenas for two players in addition to dungeons for 5 players, where players can casually participate.
This is what PvP looks like in Bless Unleashed
MeinMMO: What does PvP look like in Bless Unleashed? Many PvE enthusiasts fear unfair PvP or grief play. We’ve read that you want to make PvP fairer. What does that mean, and would you say Bless Unleashed can only be played in PvE?
Koven Park: I think I can answer both of the above questions with the following explanation. The open-world PvP system in Bless Unleashed is governed by a “Fame” system. To illustrate: a player who kills several players without reason gains “Notoriety,” but gains an advantage in attack power once a certain value is reached.
With increasing notoriety, the player can also be attacked by other players first. Players who kill notorious players gain honor and boosts in return for protecting other players.
Players who are not interested in maintaining this system can use safe zones or the peace declaration, which states they do not play PvP. This allows them to completely avoid PvP for a certain time.
MeinMMO: It sounds like you can only escape PvP for a certain time. Is there a way to avoid PvP entirely? And what exactly is the “peace declaration” about?
Koven Park: There are “Safe Zones” and “Contested Zones” in the world of Bless Unleashed. “Safe Zones” are areas where PvP cannot occur, while “Contested Zones” are areas where players are open to PvP against other players.
A “peace declaration” is an item that protects the user after a certain period of time, even while they are in the “Contested Zones,” essentially making them immune to PvP for a specific duration. The item can be freely acquired.
Who should play Bless Unleashed, and what’s next?
MeinMMO: What types of MMORPG players do you appeal to with Bless Unleashed?
Koven Park: While this may just be the ideal of the development team, we want to include all types of users who play MMORPGs. We believe there are 3 main types of MMORPG players:
- Adventurer: An independent player who enjoys exploring the world, collecting, and crafting.
- Guardian: A player who prefers to be in a group, enjoys PvE with others, collaborates with other players, and fights bosses.
- Destroyer: A player who enjoys PvP and competitive advantages. Only victories satisfy them.
Unions were created to satisfy these groups of players, and when users reach a certain level in the world, they can join one of the three Unions.
The Union, which is much larger than a guild, is a community of users with the same inclinations who receive benefits for doing what they please without having to participate compulsorily in aspects they do not want to engage in, such as battlegrounds, dungeons, or field content. We also plan content like competitions between Unions and later world events.
– Sentinels: Enhance survival chances in PvE
– Artisans Society: Allow better crafting
– Court of Ravens: Offer advantages in PvP
In the Unions, you can experience special quests and team up with like-minded players.
MeinMMO: Some players wish that guilds and social features play a more significant role in Bless Unleashed. It could provide more benefits to be in one. Do you have plans to improve this?
Koven Park: Guild achievements, guild contributions, and guild growth have been added through the latest update. We plan to continuously add benefits through content such as a supply room and guild missions, as well as content among communities.
MeinMMO: Can you give us a special insight into the future of Bless Unleashed?
Koven Park: We are preparing a diverse and aggressive update through long- and short-term plans. We hope that Bless Unleashed will be recognized in the PC MMORPG market as an open-world MMORPG with fun action. I hope many players will enjoy the game!
MeinMMO: Okay, last question: Based on your data from the last few months, is there a feature that surprised you by how popular it is with players?
Koven Park: There was an early prologue that contained a lot of story. However, in the early stages of the game, players told us they wanted to skip the prologue. So we added the option to skip the prologue.
However, it turned out that players who did not skip it played the game much longer in the end than those who did skip it. In general, the biggest dilemma in MMORPG creation is the low preference for storylines, with the focus often on combat or progression, which is why this was an unexpected outcome.
We will stick to our original goals and focus on the importance of details, as we know that the story, combat, and other systems are important parts of the game.
MeinMMO: Thank you for the interview!
Finally, a new action MMORPG for PC!
I have to admit that after the huge disappointment with Bless Online, I had no real desire to deal with the Bless IP anymore. And since Bless Unleashed was initially only available for the Xbox One, I was even less interested as a pure PC player.
But with the announcement of the PC launch, I became curious. Because I can’t stand the outdated tab-targeting system in many MMORPGs and much prefer to swing my weapon freely and unrestrained to sweep my enemies away with combos, AoE, and skill shots.
All of this seems to be finally possible in Bless Unleashed on PC. Since I have always liked the colorful art style of Bless (there are even cat people!), a game in this world with a fast-paced and dynamic action combat system suits me just fine. Let’s just hope that the new developers will have more success with Bless Unleashed than the old team had with Bless Online.
Jürgen Horn
Editor at MeinMMO
